Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) Sees Significant Growth in Short Interest

Albertsons Companies, Inc. (NYSE:ACI) was the recipient of a large increase in short interest in September. As of September 15th, there was short interest totalling 18,610,000 shares, an increase of 12.6% from the August 31st total of 16,530,000 shares. Approximately 4.6% of the shares of the company are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 3,150,000 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 5.9 days.

Albertsons Companies Price Performance

NYSE ACI traded down $0.01 on Friday, hitting $18.49. The company had a trading volume of 2,841,633 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,022,267. The company has a market capitalization of $10.71 billion, a PE ratio of 8.29, a PEG ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 0.49. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $19.55 and its 200-day moving average price is $20.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.67, a current ratio of 0.88 and a quick ratio of 0.21. Albertsons Companies has a 12-month low of $17.80 and a 12-month high of $23.47.

Albertsons Companies (NYSE:ACI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 23rd. The company reported $0.66 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.67 by ($0.01). The company had revenue of $24.27 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $24.16 billion. Albertsons Companies had a return on equity of 56.01% and a net margin of 1.41%. Albertsons Companies’s revenue was up .9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.89 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Albertsons Companies will post 2.26 earnings per share for the current year.

Albertsons Companies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 9th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 26th were issued a dividend of $0.12 per share. This represents a $0.48 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.60%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, July 26th. Albertsons Companies’s payout ratio is 21.52%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Albertsons Companies

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Lubert Adler Management Company LP grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 47.1% during the second quarter. Lubert Adler Management Company LP now owns 2,664,735 shares of the company’s stock worth $52,629,000 after buying an additional 852,857 shares in the last quarter. Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of Albertsons Companies by 109.7% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 57,054 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,223,000 after buying an additional 29,849 shares in the last quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 40.1% during the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 189,083 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,054,000 after acquiring an additional 54,130 shares during the last quarter. Swedbank AB boosted its position in shares of Albertsons Companies by 166.2% during the 2nd quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 214,192 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,230,000 after acquiring an additional 133,715 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Privium Fund Management UK Ltd acquired a new position in shares of Albertsons Companies during the 4th quarter valued at about $1,247,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 71.35% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

ACI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Telsey Advisory Group reaffirmed a “market perform” rating and set a $27.25 target price on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Thursday, July 18th. Melius Research initiated coverage on shares of Albertsons Companies in a report on Monday, September 23rd. They set a “hold” rating and a $19.00 target price for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $23.54.

Albertsons Companies Company Profile

Albertsons Companies, Inc, through its subsidiaries, engages in the operation of food and drug stores in the United States. The company’s food and drug retail stores offer grocery products, general merchandise, health and beauty care products, pharmacy, fuel, and other items and services. It also manufactures and processes food products for sale in stores.